This invention relates generally to the field of vessel cleats and more specifically to a vessel cleat with recessed gasket.
Vessels such as sail boats, power boats and the like need to be restrained from drifting away from a dock when stationed at a port or the like. To this end, rope cleats are mounted to the perimeter of the deck of a standard vessel so that the boat owner can attach a rope from the dock to the vessel thereby restraining the vessel from leaving the dock.
Cleats are commonly bolted to the deck of a vessel. Conventional cleats have an elongate bar that is held up a few inches by a plurality of support structures. Each support structure has a female aperture that can accept a standard bolt or has a threaded post cast into the underside of the support structure. Each stud penetrates an aligned aperture in the deck of the vessel and a mating nut is attached to the threaded studs from the underside of the deck thereby securing the cleat to the deck. Other items, including antenna mounts and deck fill caps such as used for gas and water fill and waste removal, also are commonly secured to a deck in a similar way.
The space between the deck and the flat bottom of the cleat support structure is generally filled with a caulking material or a flexible washer such as rubber or the like. Unfortunately, the act of tightening the nut forces the flat underside of the support structure toward the surface of the deck thereby causing any caulking material to be squeezed out or any rubber washer to be distorted and thereby not properly sealed around the stud. Additionally, the harsh environment found in the boating world including great temperature changes, humidity changes and corrosive salt water environments can cause the caulking or the rubber washer between the cleat support structure and the deck to degrade thereby causing a potential pathway for water to travel. When the caulking deteriorates or when the edges of an exposed gasket break down, water can penetrate to the threaded post and travel down the post's sides to the underside of the deck. The resulting water damage can require expensive and time consuming repairs. Furthermore, if the cleat support structures are resting on a compressible gasket material such as rubber or the like, unwanted movement occurs from side loads as dock lines pull on the cleat. A further complication in using a compressible gasket is that there is an increase of flex loads on the threaded stud fasteners and attached nuts that could result in mechanical failure causing the cleat to break away from the deck and the moored boat to drift away from its mooring.